You’re a doctoral candidate or postdoc with strong expertise in deep-tech, natural or life sciences.
You want to see your research create value beyond publications.
You’re open to exploring entrepreneurship, even with no prior experience.
You’re eager to learn, test ideas, and connect with experts.
Turn Your Research into Reality!
You've worked on incredible research, want to turn your breakthrough idea into a real-world company, but don't know how? We're here to change that!
If you’re a scientist and wonder whether your research has startup potential and how to take the first steps toward founding – we’ve got two tailored programs to support you step by step:
- IdeaLab: Evaluate your technology, explore use cases, and shape the foundation of your business idea.
- XPLORE Pre-Incubation Program: Take the first steps toward building your startup. Our programs support you from validating your business model to defining your go-to-market strategy.
Through a mix of workshops, targeted training, and intensive one-on-one coaching, we’ll guide you through the journey. Together, we’re building a vibrant ecosystem that accelerates your path from lab to market, helping you create impact and secure the future of our economy.
Join us and unlock your full entrepreneurial potential!
IdeaLab Workshop
2-day workshop for doctoral candidates and postdocs to transform research into commercial applications.
XPLORE in cooperation with the TUM Venture Labs invites you to the IdeaLab, a two-day, hands-on workshop designed to help you transform your academic work into solutions that address real-world problems.
This isn't just about launching a startup – it's about translating your deep knowledge into tangible benefits for society.
This two-day interactive workshop provides you with the knowledge and skills to identify relevant application areas of your academic work and set up a research-based startup:
- Dissect your research into its core technologies and identify commercial use cases
- Learn how to launch a deep tech startup
- Practice communicating your solution and its benefits to non-technical audiences
You will also have the opportunity to:
- Work on your idea with a small team
- Hear from experts in the field of entrepreneurship
- Meet founders and learn about their entrepreneurial journey
Check out what we did in our spring iteration and fill out our application form.
Register until:
October 5, 2025 · 12:00 am
Dates:
October 17, 2025 · 8:30 am–5:00 pm
October 24, 2025 · 8:30 am–5:00 pm
Location:
Garching Forschungszentrum
Duration:
2 days
Language:
English
Contact:
idealab@unternehmertum.de
Who Should Join?
You don’t need to be a born entrepreneur. The perfect sciencepreneur is a researcher curious about the impact of their work.
If you see potential in your research but need support to take the first step, Sciencepreneurs@XPLORE is for you.
Continue Your Journey With Our
XPLORE Pre-Incubation Program
After developing your use case and forming your first team (consisting of minimum two team members) you can continue working on your business idea within our pre-incubation program. We offer a tailored approach that meets you exactly where you are, with support customized to your team's maturity and needs:
-
XPLORE Venture Creator
You're ready to work intensively on your promising idea? Our 10–12 week Venture Creator program provides intensive support to help you validate your business model, build a strong team, and get ready for seed funding.
-
XPLORE Market Pioneer
You've already validated your idea and are ready to launch? The 6–8 week Market Pioneer program offers targeted guidance to help you conquer new markets and build your first customer relationships.
-
XPLORE Freerider
You prefer to continue working on your idea at your own pace? Our flexible Freerider program provides you with various online training modules, valuable tools, and our full network, so you can get the support you need, when you need it.
This personalized, step-by-step approach ensures your innovation gets the optimal support to move from a great idea to a successful company. Our ecosystem gives you access to a strong network of mentors, investors, and alumni boosting your chances of success.
Contact
You have questions about Sciencepreneurs@XPLORE?
